A Mother Shares the Story of Losing her Daughter to a Methadone Overdose

Cynthia Doucette visited Crossroads for Women’s Residential Rehabilitation facility in Windham, Maine on Tuesday, June 5th to talk to women from the short-term and long-term mother and child residential programs about her daughter, Candice.

Candice was 18 years old when she died of a methadone overdose in 2003. She was at a party with friends she had known for a long time, but she was not close to them. The last contact Cynthia had with her daughter was around 9:30pm. She told Candice she did not like where she was and asked her to come home. Cynthia tried calling again at 11:30pm, but no one answered the phone. She never talked to Candice again. It wasn’t until 1:00pm the next day that the police arrived at Cynthia’s hair salon to inform Cynthia of the devastating news.

Cynthia talked about how it wasn’t unusual for Candice to stay out all night. She described Candice as a bit of a troublemaker, but someone who could get along with anyone and loved to sing. She had a brother and a sister and a loving mother and father. They lived in a small town in Maine. Candice was diagnosed with depression at the age of 15.

Cynthia admitted to being a bit naive about her daughter’s drug use. She thought there might be some use, but always thought it was only a little marijuana. She knows now that Candice would trade her medications for her depression for her friends’ prescription drugs. She was also involved with ecstasy and other hard drugs.

Many questions surround Candice’s death, but Cynthia says she can’t live her life trying to get answers. Instead, she focuses on telling Candice’s story to anyone who might want to hear it in hopes that what happened to Candice won’t happen to another young woman.

Cynthia tells her story in a book called It Can Happen to any Family. She also hosts a show on Bath Community Television Maine with the same title. To contact Cynthia Doucette or to order a copy of her book, visit ItCanHappytoAnyFamily.com.

Crossroads is CARF accredited, a member of the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers, and is committed to providing high quality care to women, men, and families struggling with substance use and mental health disorders.